ABSTRACT
Aand is derived from the Old Danish and, Old Norse ǫnd, which is of the same root as aande (breathe), and also from the Old Norse andi. Andi corresponds nearest to aand (spirit), ǫnd nearest to aande (breath); in Swedish ande corresponds to both aand and aande. The latter two are both related to the Latin animus (spiritual power) and anima (air, soul), as well as to the Greek ἄνεμος (wind).1 The lexical meaning of aande, in Danish related to livsaande, is breathing as a condition of life. Aand may be conjoined with liv and kraft to mean spiritual life and spiritual power, respectively; and it is related to sjæl, the incorporeal part of human nature, condition of its consciousness, synonymous with soul. It may refer to a higher consciousness in contrast to soul; a person distinguished as a personality; a rational being made without a body; an all-powerful force intended to act in the human being (holy spirit); a mood; and a volatile substance or essence.2
